Brown's Requiem (1998)
Fritz Brown is an ex-LAPD, recovering alcoholic who now splits his time repossessing cars for a used car lot and staffing his one-man private detective agency. When a filthy caddie named Freddy "Fat Dog" Baker wanders into Fritz's office one day, flashing a wad of cash, Fritz is hired to follow Fat Dog's kid sister Jane, who is holed up with a Beverly Hills sugar daddy named Sol Kupferman. Kupferman is a 70 year-old bag man for the mob, and Fat Dog claims that "Solly K" is up to something evil that may harm Jane. The trail leads Fritz to an encounter with his dark past in the person of Haywood Cathcart, current head of LAPD internal affairs and the person who kicked Fritz off the police force.
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Admirable film.
A Masterpiece!
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
It is definitely Michael Rooker who carries this film with his likable working-man persona.He really manages to show the heart and humanity under his character's rough exterior and when he needs to be menacing he delivers the goods;the scene where he takes a pair of brass knuckles to a creep in order to beat some information out of him is worth the price of admission alone. He is well-served by a snappy script that captures the gritty funk of Ellroy's writing. Capable direction by Jason Freeland keeps things moving nicely. There are excellent character turns by Will Sasso, Brad Dourif,and Barry Newman. And Harold Gould takes a bow as a slimy mobster.I am surprised this isn't more celebrated. Good show, all around.
...Brown's Requiem tells the story of Fritz Brown, a private investigator and part time repo man who was at one time an officer in the LAPD -- and is currently an on-the-wagon alcoholic. Fritz is hired by an obese golf caddy who calls himself Fat Dog (MadTV's Will Sasso) to watch over his sister (Selma Blair) who is currently shacked up with a wealthy older man. Fritz soon finds himself involved in a complicated plot involving Fat Dog's murder, a former football player turned racketeer and the Internal Affairs chief who had Fritz thrown off the force (the late, great character actor Brion James).I've not read Ellroy's novel (it's one of the few Ellroy novels I haven't read) but I understand it was his first. If this film is a faithful adaptation, then it serves as the filmic representation of the birth of Ellroy's signature devices: flawed "heroes," gruesome violence, perversions, sadism and a filthy Los Angeles underbelly, all of which are on display here. Star/producer Michael Rooker does a fantastic job conveying a character who strives for redemption and allows the possibility of it to pull him into a world of murder and depravity he was not ready for. The direction is tight, the mystery is intriguing and the film is littered with memorable bit roles by such character actors as the aforementioned Brion James, Brad Dourif, Lee Weaver and Tobin Bell.Fans of film noir should give this one a go, as should fans of star Michael Rooker and author James Ellroy. It's not perfect but it surely deserved better than the direct-to-video release it received here in the U.S. A solid 7/10.
I am amazed that, given the reviews of the film (all apart from two rate the film highly), how this film managed to score so poorly. Indeed, I think it's a huge shame that it didn't get a better cinema release in this country. I only saw it on video.I thought it was excellent thriller in the noir tradition. There are three standout elements. First, the plot and feel of the film. These are faithful to James Ellroy's book, more so than in the case of LA Confidential. I was amazed how much of the detailed plot was included (and believe me Ellroy plots are detailed!) Secondly, Cynthia Millar's haunting piano score was probably largely responsible for my second viewing of the film. Thirdly, Michael Rooker's performance. I had only ever remembered him as the villain in Sea of Love, a part he played well but not outstandingly. Here, though, his hangdog expression served him excellently. He is a modern Robert Mitchum, born to play noir leads. Actually he's better, Mitchum was too smooth.Highly recommended. Go see it and give it more deserving marks on the board than it has at the moment. I haven't mentioned Jason Freedland's contribution, but I hope to see more from this talented director, given his superb first attempt.
A film of no direction, little plot-line, an absence of meaning and leaves you with a feeling of being financially raped and abused ... where the $5 million went on making this film is anybody's guess!Hugely disappointing and shouldn't have even been released as a 'direct to video' film ... one of the worst movies of the decadeR,M,S & D